Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa | |
| Fashion magazines, fitness trends and pressures of society have contributed to the female preoccupation with body image, which in some becomes an obsession. The desire to be thin is seen mostly in young women who are competitive and have a strong drive to achieve. Bulimia, binge eating and purging of food immediately after eating, is common in today’s society. Binge eating may involve up to ten times the normal day’s intake of food, followed by induced vomiting and the use of laxatives to assist in purging consumed food. Stealing of food is common in bulimia and secrecy about eating habits develops so that family and friends may at first be unaware of the situation. Self-deception in bulimia may extend to other aspects as well. The usual complications of bulimia are marked fluctuations in weight. More serious complications can include choking on food, and rupture of the stomach and inflammation of the pancreas, but these are rare. Anorexia, a more severe eating disorder also common in our society, occurs with a very strong obsession for thinness. It occurs mostly in young women and starts with a major reduction in food intake which is followed by a complete loss of appetite with extreme weight loss. The weight loss can be so severe that an anorexic can lose all body fat and muscle and be virtually reduced to a walking skeleton. With severe weight loss, hormone production changes and may stop. This can lead to a complete cessation of periods and infertility. Some anorexics over-exercise as well and have an obsessive desire to be fit. Anorexia can be fatal because of extreme weight loss, starvation and malnutrition. Treatment helps the anorexic gain weight. An extended period of care by a pyschiatrist or counseller may be required, and family support is vital. |